Although the present invention has general applicability to any given system where the formation and deposition of calcium scale and in particular calcium carbonate scale is a potential problem, the invention will be discussed in detail as it concerns cooling water systems. The present invention relates to methods for inhibiting scale deposits in aqueous systems.
In industrial cooling systems, water such as from rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., is employed as the cooling media for heat exchangers. Such natural waters contain large amounts of suspended materials such as silt, clay, and organic wastes. The cooling water from heat exchangers is typically passed through a cooling tower, spray pond or evaporative system prior to discharge or reuse. In these systems, the cooling effect is achieved by evaporating a portion of the water passing through the system. Because of the evaporation which takes place during cooling, suspended materials in the water become concentrated. Fouling materials from the feedwater or as a result of evaporative concentration can settle in locations of low flow rate and cause corrosion and inefficient heat transfer. Agglomerating agents such as polyacrylamides and polyacrylates have been used to agglomerate fine particles of mud and silt into a loose floc for removal. However, these flocs tend to settle in cooling tower basins and frequent cleaning is necessary to remove the settled flocs from the tower basins.
The water employed in industrial cooling water systems also often contains dissolved salts of calcium and magnesium, etc., which can lead to scale and sludge deposits. One of the most common scale deposits in cooling water systems is calcium carbonate. It normally results from the breakdown of calcium bicarbonate, a naturally occurring soluble salt. Calcium carbonate has a relatively low solubility and its solubility decreases with increasing temperature and pH. Thus, the rate of calcium carbonate deposition increases with increasing pH and temperature.
Deposit control agents such as phosphates, phosphonates and polyacrylates are often used to inhibit calcium carbonate scale formation in industrial cooling water systems. The use of polyacrylates alone is not effective at high calcium concentrations because undesirable polyacrylate-calcium precipitates are formed reducing efficiency.
Although phosphonates are very effective at controlling calcium carbonate scale formation, and certain phosphonates exhibit excellent calcium tolerance, i.e. the ability to inhibit calcium carbonate scale in water having a propensity toward scale deposition, they can produce insoluble phosphonate - calcium complexes or calcium phosphate scale upon degradation, especially in waters having high calcium concentrations and pH. Further, current limits on total phosphorus discharge (as P) due to environmental concerns limit the acceptability of the use of phosphonates for water treatment.
Preventing the corrosion and scaling of industrial heat transfer equipment is essential to the efficient and economical operation of a cooling water system. Excessive corrosion of metallic surfaces can cause the premature failure of process equipment, necessitating downtime for the replacement or repair of the equipment. Additionally, the buildup of corrosion products on the heat transfer surface reduces efficiency, thereby limiting production or requiring downtime for cleaning. Reduction in efficiency will also result from scaling deposits which retard heat transfer and hinder water flow.
Scale can also cause rapid localized corrosion and subsequent penetration of metallic surfaces through the formation of differential oxygen concentration cells. The localized corrosion resulting from differential oxygen cells originating from deposits is commonly referred to as "underdeposit corrosion".